DIY & Decor

April 24, 2006

Diy cleaning

Filed under: Easy DIY, Housekeeping — DO or DIY @ 4:29 pm

The first category of SPRING DIY is cleaning. We have already written about various decorating tips & solutions in order to avoid too much cleaning, but unfortunately our homes still do need a good overall clean once in a while. These are the most common cleaning tasks for the Spring..

Window cleaning

This should be done more than once a year, but window cleaning is an essential part of a thorough spring clean. Clean all your windows and frames – take note of the external paintwork. If the paint is flaky or peeling off, you’ll need to repaint it. Try not to use chemicals – vinegar & water or lemon juice & water clean windows really well.

Window, Door, doorway painting

If you live near the sea; in an extreme climate; near to busy roads or your openings face south, you’ll need to do external painting more often - sometimes once a year is required. Make sure you use appropriate paints that are also environmentally friendly.

Floors

Most floors need some kind of maintenance. If you have carpets, they need to be cleaned at least once a year - get the professionals in or hire an industrial carpet cleaner. Wooden floors get scratched during the year – repair these and polish the floor. If your floor is waxed, it’s time to re-wax it now! Stone tiles need to be resealed whilst ceramic tiles need to have a good scrub! Rubber and vinyl floors also need to be treated with an appropriate sealer.

Curtains & upholstery

All window treatments and soft furnishing need to be freshened up at least once a year. Wash you curtains, cushion-covers, throws & blinds – or take them to the dry-cleaners. Wooden & metallic blinds can be cleaned with special blind-cleaners or just give them a shower in the bath or in the garden. Get your couch, armchairs & chairs cleaned too! It’s best to call out a professional cleaning company – most upholstery cleaners sold in stores can leave stains on the fabric.

Cupboards cleaning

Take everything out of your cupboards and cabinets – then clean the insides. Only put back things that you actually use. Pick out clothes that you haven’t worn for a couple years and household items that you no longer need - give them to charity shops. Clear your vanity cabinets of old cosmetics & creams. Go through your kitchen cabinets – unused gadgets should be placed on top shelves, in the garage or given away!

Outdoor clear-up

When the weather is pleasant, spend an afternoon attending to the outside of the house. If you live near the sea; in an extreme climate; near to busy roads or your openings face south, you’ll need to do external painting more often - sometimes once a year is required. Make sure you use appropriate paints that are also environmentally friendly. If you take care of your property, you’ll have to deal less with replacement windows. Add some containers to your front porch & terrace, clear the pathways, tidy up your flowerbeds, clear up any weeds & moss, clear the gutters, clean or paint the fence etc Take note of the state of the roof, walls & paintwork. If they need maintenance - deal with it now, rather than putting it off till a later date.

Then, relax!

7 Responses to “Diy cleaning”

On April 25th, 2006 at 3:08 pm
Spring Cleaning Project Ideas - lifehack.org wrote:

[...] You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site. Share and Enjoy:These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers canshare and discover new web pages. [...]
On April 26th, 2006 at 4:00 am
Time-saving Spring Cleaning Tips - Parenting Ideas wrote:

[...] Are you ready to roll up your sleeves to have a spring cleaning? I feel energized whenever some clutters in my house are cleared away. Where to start? Do It Yourself Together has a great list of things to consider (via Lifehack). And, after a great effort you’ve put into cleaning, how do you keep the cleaning status as longer as possible? Perhaps you don’t want to do the cleaning at all, but like things being clean. Do It Yourself knows you better and offers some more time-saving spring cleaning tips. I have already used the last tip for a few years. It saves me hours from cleaning my timber floor: Take your shoes off when you come home. Not only does it feel better to walk around without shoes, but you won’t bring in the dirt from outside. Ask your guests to do the same, perhaps provide them with some gorgeous slippers and they won’t mind (I’ve had people taking exception to being asked to remove their shoes…apparently they were not dirty… [...]
On April 28th, 2006 at 6:20 pm
Hatch: The Design Public Blog » Blog Archive » Another Blog I Like… wrote:

[...] Drew just let me know about a fantastic D.I.Y. site that I had not seen before: DIYtogether. Spring is a great time to get serious cleaning done, and they break it down and provide great instructions. Let me just tell you, I’m moving, and it’s REALLY scary to see what is lurking under beds and behind dressers and realize I’ve been breathing in such dusty air for so long! By the way, even if you are not, pretend you are moving. For instance, I found a very large box of 80’s alternative cassette tapes I had not even opened in the four years I’ve been in this house. Actually, I don’t think I’d really listened to any of them since around ‘92, and I know I haven’t even had a tape player for at least a decade. It was wasting significant storage space, using up my moving muscles and gathering dust for 14 years! [...]
On March 8th, 2008 at 9:38 am
Des wrote:

I run a few cleaning companies, and i must say, the info you’ve packed into this blog is great. Especially the bit about curtains and upholstery. So many people leave it far too long before they get these items cleaned. By then it may be too late!
On September 29th, 2008 at 1:54 am
home improvement wrote:

these tips are great. i have to start spring cleaning now but its the fall.
On October 16th, 2008 at 9:40 pm
Robin wrote:

Here’s a few more helpful tips for floor cleaning and maintenance.

Enjoy!
On November 20th, 2008 at 12:21 am
Michelle wrote:

If you have iron water, of course you probably already know about “Iron Out” BUT… by cheating on the suggested usage, I have gotten iron stains off my shower tiles in seconds. I recommend you use it in a well ventilated area, of course, but if you mix equal parts Iron Out and water in a cup, to a paste consistency, then spread onto the tile with a sponge, let it stand for about 30 seconds, and practically wipe away the iron stains without scrubbing!!

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